City on the Edge of Destruction
by Mountain King
Summary: Read the introduction for why I wrote this. A stranger comes for Buffy and her friends after the end of 'Chosen' Who is he and what the hell is going on? A Doctor Who crossover
1. Introduction & Chapter 1

City on the Edge of Destruction  
Introduction

To celebrate the return of the greatest Sci-fi show on Earth! Here's the results of my twisted imagination, too much heavy rock and far too many hours reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Of course I'll also throw in the good Doctor, the last episode of Buffy, then the end of Angel and several surprises along the way…

My apologies to anyone else who is as much of a fan of Douglas Adams as myself but sometimes the only way to describe the Doctor is to revert to the "hitchhiker's" style, if I do think of it as a homage to the great DNA.

Wish me luck (and for the eventual return of my sanity)

"Doctor Who" is the property of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)  
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is the property of 20th century fox/Mutant Enemy inc.  
I own nether of the concepts or ideas used in them.

Authors note  
This repost is because I missed an important part out by accident, no prizes for guessing what.

Chapter One  
The Doctor is in

'So what do we do now Buffy?' The young girl asked her.

For the longest moment Buffy thought about it. Live a normal life? Have a family? She was about to open her mouth when someone came around the bus. 'I'm thinking about a long vacation, how about you?' The short woman was Buffy's height and build and carried an identical red and silver scythe.

'The First? I thought you would have scampered when I crushed your army!' Buffy asked the identical person. She was quite unprepared for her own fist to knock her flat.

'I'm not the First you moron. Anyway it was Spike who sacrificed himself to close the Hellmouth.'

Buffy flipped to her feet as her sister tried to stare down her copy. 'Who are you then?' Dawn asked.

'She's your sister.' Another Dawn answered as she followed behind the impostor Buffy. The young watcher pointed at her own double and then Buffy before fainting.

At this point their Xander stepped forward. 'What the hell is going on!' He half shouted before looking around 'My twin isn't going to pop out of nowhere now is he?'

'No he'd still with the Doctor' The duplicate Dawn answered.

'A doctor, what does a doctor have to do with anything.'

Willow clicked her fingers 'Your clones! And this doctor created you.'

'No we're not clones,' Answered a copied Willow who was following a very strangely dressed man who was almost tripping over his knitted scarf. 'This is the Doctor and he needs your help.'

* * *

Giles looked at the man, polished his glasses and put them back on. When this didn't work  
he tried again. After the third time he coughed. 'When Willow said you are the doctor she really meant THE Doctor!' 

'Indeed she did dear sir, indeed she did.'

'Giles? Who is this?' Buffy asked

From the corner of his eye Giles saw Andrew faint, very much like the now recovering Dawn. The fictional character answered for him. 'Good lady, I am The Doctor. I'm afraid that there are some, events, transpiring in another time that require your less than delicate touch.'

'Hang on… Do I know you? What are you a doctor of?'

'Life, the universe and everything.'

'huh?' Buffy's face was a portrait of confusion

'Come, without you your friends in LA will be helpless.' The Doctor explained with a edge that told Giles more than he needed to know

'Angel?'

'And diverse others.' The Time Lord said 'You must come with me. In essence you already have.' He gestured to the two men who were behind him. They were Xander and Giles.

'Good lord!' Exclaimed the current Giles 'This is going to get very confusing.' He muttered and cleaned his glasses.

'Indeed it will. I suggest that you five go with the Doctor. Something very important will happen if you do.'

'and if we don't you will cease to exist.'

'I am afraid so.'

* * *

Buffy listened as the two Giles-es talked at first but eventually filtered them out. The strange "doctor" person was looking over the Hellmouth with a strange expression. With a half shrug he turned back to face Buffy. For a moment her slayer senses went haywire. Then he smiled and fanned himself with his oversized hat that somehow, almost but not entirely, spectacularly failed to match the scarf. The feeling left as fast as it had come.

'I'll never get used to that.' Her future self said from next to her. She was carrying two scythes, offering one to the current Buffy.

'What the hell was that.' Buffy whispered back.

'No clue, he's odd. Very odd. I've told me this before and I didn't listen then, or now really, but you should. Don't underestimate him, just because he looks like a hobo doesn't mean he is.' She literally thrust one of the scythes under her younger self's nose

'What's that mean crypto-girl?' Buffy took the current scythe from herself.

'That would be telling.'

The present Buffy's only response was to stick her tongue out at her future. Turning away she walked to the two watchers. 'Giles, our Giles, you're the only one here that has a clue as to what the hell is going on here so do we trust this weirdo?' She jerked her thumb at "the doctor".

He looked at her and finally put his extra shiny glasses back on. 'No question about it. Yourself, Xander ,Willow, Dawn not to mention myself have already done it. What's done has to be.'

'What I don't understand is why Dawn has to come.'

'My other self has yet to revile that.' Giles motioned to himself.

'Quite simple dear boy,' The Doctor said coming next to them. 'You each have a task to complete and while I might not know what I do know that each is important to the future. And quite possibly the past as well. Come my dear,' he took hold of Buffy's wrist and forced her to point at a blue box a hundred or so yards off the road. 'Time waits for no woman or man. Be them Slayer, Time lord or all the creatures dreamt of in you philosophy.' Smiling he swept majestically away, in the direction Buffy was still pointing.

'Why do I get the feeling things are just going to get stranger from this moment on?' Buffy asked no one in particular as she followed the mad man, her friends behind.

When they got to the box Buffy noticed a problem. It was too small for the five of them. She opened the door and looked into a great black unknown. 'Okay Giles what's going on.'

The watcher was literally hopping from foot to foot 'Can I go first?' He sounded like a child.

'Sure' Buffy stepped aside as the manically grinning watcher held a hand out and walked into the oily black. Without so much as a ripple it absorbed him and he vanished. 'Giles are you alright?' Buffy shouted into the darkness.

'Never better! Come in there's plenty of room.'

Buffy looked at the others. All but one was shaking their heads. 'Dawn? What's the matter with you.'

'I've seen this! Don't worry there's a whole ship behind there.'

'How do you know that?' Willow asked

'Andrew forced me to watch it on TV'

'Earth to Dawn. This is the real world not television.'

'So? This telephone box is a time machine. It's also a lot bigger on the inside than out'

'A bit like Bill an Ted.' Asked Xander.

'I think that copied off this guy. Come on its getting cold and I need a shower.'

'Shower? There's a bathroom in that little thing?' Buffy asked with a hint of hysteria.

'There's probably a multiplex cinema.' Dawn laughed and pulled Buffy in to the blackness.

* * *

Willow frowned at the unbroken surface. Without warning Buffy walked out, her eyes were as wide as saucers. Willow watched her best friend walk in a circle around the phone box. She then walked the opposite way around, testing each of the sturdy box's walls. Then she walked in again, only to walk right back out and fall flat on her face.

'Xander? What is going on?'

'You're asking me?'

'You get her arms, I've got her feet.' Together the witch and the one-eyed carpenter carried the sleeping slayer into the TARDIS.

They were standing in a big white room, behind them the door they had come from closed without a sound. There were two other doors in the triangle shaped room. The roof stretched on forever. The centre of the room was taken up by some sort of great round pedestal. Several cylinders rose and fell from the centre of this device. Little lights a switches danced on an off for no reason other than to while away the boredom of staying put. Giles was talking to the Doctor as he tried to set a dial of some sort.

Willow decided that Buffy had the right idea and fainted herself.

End Chapter one


	2. Chapter 2

City On The Edge of Destruction.Chapter Two  
The Finest Dinner in the Universe  
(or why Xander should do as he is told).

Giles smiling was the first thing Buffy saw as she woke up. 'Thank God! Are you alright Buffy?'

'Blood loss and shock. Perfect for sleep time.' She answered groggily, 'Giles If I ask "Where are we?" would I get an answer I will like?'

'Ahem, well you see… err… possibly not, no.' His hand flickered for his glasses but didn't move them.

'Pretend I asked anyway.' She picked up her scythe from her feet, glad she remembered to pick it up from the bus and give it to herself. This time travel stuff was enough to make her head spin.

'We're inside the TARDIS Buffy. This is the sitting room.'

'The sitting room.' The ceiling stretched on forever, slowly standing up she got out of a large ornate chair and glanced at the walls. 'You must like this place.' Large bookcases dominated most of the room, a smallish table had about three books piled on it and an old wind up gramophone with one of those really big shell/cone like speakers.

'Yes, well the Doctor has an extensive collection, for example this,' Giles was pointing at a rat chewed scroll. 'Is an original copy of the Darine codex, only eight were ever made.'

'That's great Giles, really, so where exactly is this tardis.' Buffy looked around some more and saw Willow passed out on another ornate chair, it looked like she was alright and from the way Giles was behaving she probably was.

'Anywhere it wants to be' He said slightly embarrassed.

'What's that suppose to mean?'

Then the Doctor entered. 'Ah I see your awake, nasty shock you and your friend had. Sorry about that, Mr Harris and the other one took it much better.' He frowned for a moment, like he was trying to figure out what 29 times pi was in his head. Then the Doctor shrugged and smiled again.

'Where is Xander and Dawn?' Buffy asked suddenly worried.

'He's in the control room and the young lady is in the cinema.' Once again he frowned, Buffy missed this but he seemed to do it whenever he talked about Dawn.

'The cinema? Look buddy where are we?'

'My TARDIS, of course.'

'That's what Giles said but what is it.'

'TARDIS is an acronym…'

'Isn't that when a bunch of words start with the same letter?'

'No Miss Summers, that is called alliteration. An acronym is the first letter of each word; in this case Time And Relative Dimensions In Space becomes T-A-R-D-I-S'

'I like the short vision.' She grumbled

'As do I. It's my ship.'

'Ship?'

'Yes Buffy.' Giles pushed his glasses further up his nose. 'You see The Doctor is a Time Lord and this is his time ship.'

'It's an older model but it still works.' The Doctor admitted with some aplomb.

'Time ship. You mean it travels in time.'

'And space. Yes.' The Doctor smiled in a way that made Buffy question her own sanity.

'A time machine?'

'Yes.' Again the smile but this time with a hint of annoyance.

'That looks like a blue wooden box in the middle of the desert.'

'Yes.' His answers were getting shorter and more abrupt.

'A small wooden box that could not possibly fit the six of us let alone all this.' She waved her hands around at the astoundingly large room they were in.

'Well there's a good reason for that.' He suddenly went from aggravated to embarrassed.

Buffy waited for the "good reason".

'Yes, well you see this is an older model TARDIS and it had a prototype chameleon circuit when I got it. That malfunctioned quite some time ago and is impossible to fix. I don't mind, helps me remember what it looks like. You have no idea the difficulties of finding a TARDIS with a working chameleon circuit on a desert world, nothing but rocks and sand.'

'A what?'

'A desert world? Well you see…'

'Not that the other thing, camel-lion something.'

'A chameleon circuit, would you like me to explain.'

'Would it help?'

He shared a glance with Giles, some sort of deep sigh came from both of them that annoyed her no end 'No I suppose not really. It makes the TARDIS look like a British 1950's police call box. It should make it look like other things too, but it doesn't.'

'That's better. Can we keep all the revelations like that please.'

'What is it with the early twenty-first century and words with more than two syllables' The Doctor directed the question to the infinite expanse above. 'Why invent something as complex and contradictory as the English language and then not use half of it.'

'Hey.' Buffy found that some what of an insult 'We can't all be English and Giles-like.'

'The English are worse, out of all the races in the galaxy only they could have created it.'

* * *

Xander was very close to shock, things were getting out of hand. He could take saving the world but actually standing in a time machine that was taking them to L.A to help Deadboy and his gang on the word of a mad, fictional, t.v. character was to much.

He finally stopped waling around the centre piece getting board of the same views. He thought about exploring but from what the Doctor guy said this place was far larger than it looked and the idea of getting lost was a frightening one. The warning he gave Dawn as he gave her directions to the cinema was more than enough to know not to experiment. After he told her where to go he had told Xander what was going on.

Turning around Xander lent against the pedestal. 'Mr Harris! Do not move!' Half shouted the Doctor as he and Giles came in from one of the other doors.

'What?'

'You are right next to the temporal stabilisation control switch. It may be advisable for you to slowly move away… As soon as possible if you would.'

Xander did as he was told, turning around he raised his hands and backed off. Catching the very switch he was told not to touch.

Nothing happened.

Nothing continued to happen

Xander let out a breath he was holding. He saw Giles glare at him and open his mouth.

Then the room began to spin. The two humans in the room were sent spinning into the walls and onto the ceiling. The Doctor, however, merely swung around the control column as if a disaster like this was normal.

After a few seconds the Doctor flipped the switch and the TARDIS stopped spinning. Buffy and Willow half flew into the control room, landing almost on top of each other. 'What happened?'

'Xander touched the controls.' Giles said as Dawn came in from the other door pulling popcorn from her hair.

'Thanks Xand.' She said

'Sorry I… I didn't think. Is it alright now Doctor?'

'I've reactivated the temporal stabilisers but the Crono-coordinator and pan-dimensional drive have disconnected from the trans-photon matter converter and the queble flurx inverter' The Doctors hands moved in a blur over the controls. They weren't doing much, other than point.

* * *

'In English, preferably the one syllable variety' Buffy asked worriedly, They were on an alien's time ship and now it sounded like they were out of control.

'It's broken'

'Thanks Dawn, I guessed that much. Can it be fixed.' Buffy rolled her eyes what was with that girl today .

'I need to manually correct the induction cables and then reboot the whole temporal location manifold.' Said the strange man, in a bit of a panic.

He was doing this on purpose she just knew it. 'How long?'

The Doctor kicked the consol and it lit up again.

'About that long Buffy.' Said Dawn happily.

'The problem now is I don't know when we are, the controls are fine but the location fix is gone. We need to stop and find out when we are.' The Doctor pulled down a large switch and the central column dropped deep into the controls. 'There we go, would you mind popping your head out and seeing what's there my dear.'

Buffy chose not to complain and went through the opening door expecting to see the Californian desert. Instead there was a rather tacky, trying to look expensive, restaurant.

Looking to ether side Buffy saw what could only be described as a parking lot for star ships. So many ships were parked for just about as far as the eye could see, all of them different shapes, styles and colours. 'Whoa'.

A man sized robot walked up to her, pistons hissing. It looked exactly the way a robot should look, all rectangles and metal.

* * *

Marvin headed towards the depressing sight. The small blond biped was looking around in awe. 'Hello.' The android spent a fraction of a nanosecond calculating and then modulating his voice to carry the precise amount of boredom and despair required for the situation before speaking.

'Oh hello you couldn't…'

'I take it this is your ship.' He interrupted

'Yes, no… Its my friends. But that's…'

'I suppose you want me to park it for you.'

'Urr no, I'm just wondering…' The being was getting aggravated

'Your not late if that's what your asking.'

'Late? Late for what.'

'That.' Marvin pointed to the enormous black hole that was busy sucking in every piece of mater in the universe.

* * *

Xander was explaining to Willow what was going on when Buffy burst back in side. 'Giles! There's this big black swirly thing in the sky! And a robot wanting to park the tardis!' Xander looked at Willow and then Dawn in case they made more sense from the sentence.

'A what?' Giles asked.

'A big black thing that's sucking everything up like a giant plug hole! We've got to get out of here!'

'Nothing of the sort my dear,' the Doctor calmly smiled. 'Was there anything else?'

'A big restaurant.' she said. Xander's mind boggled, he expected he would never hear anything as ridicules again.

'Perfect I could do with a good meal. Come dinner awaits.' Xander was wrong.

'But it's the end of the world out there and your talking about lunch?' Willow gaped at the Doctor.

'Universe my dear, it's the end of the universe.'

'That's worse! Is there anything we can do.'

'Well there is…' the Doctor looked thoughtful. 'No I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that now.'

'So?' The Scoobies asked in unison.

'So we might as well have lunch.' The Doctor took his hat and scarf of a hat stand that simply appeared next to the tardis door before opening it.

Xander thought about what the Doctor had said; 'Guys, am I going mad or did that make sense?'

'Xander,' Giles said placing his hand on the young man's shoulder, 'yes and yes, in that order.'

'Good, at least its not just me then' Dawn said before taking the last piece of popcorn from her hair.

The five of them picked up their stuff and left the Tardis, Xander was the last to leave and closed the door behind himself.

The Doctor was talking to a robot. 'And I've got a terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side.' The robot said in a voice that seemed to lack the ability to convey anything resembling happiness.

'Is that so, I quite understand.' The Doctor said.

'It gets worse. Here I am, a brain the size of a planet and I've been parking cars for the last ten thousand eons.'

'How interesting, As I'm sure you know, due to the relative curve of the universe and the most basic laws of physics your lack of enjoyment of in every event in your life means that someone, somewhere, has the most fabulously, amusingly, wonderful existence in the history of this misbegotten reality. Thanks to your faithful diligence in finding the worst of every possible situation this person is the centre of intelligent conversation and well received at dinner parties. As this person I thank you and wish upon you every misfortune. Good evening.' With that the Doctor literally swept into the large building.

'I'm feeling very depressed.' Muttered the android before sulking off.

* * *

Giles immediately recognised where he was, the large glowing sign at the door read "Milliways". As the Doctor explained it to the others Giles did the only thing a diligent thing a straight thinking Englishman does on holiday. He went to the bar and bought the strongest drink in existence. A pan galactic gargle blaster, the drink equivalent of having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.

* * *

Dawn listened to the Doctor as he politely explained something that not even Willow could possibly understand. Something to do with a "time bubble" and a restaurant built at the end of the universe to celebrate the big nothing. Apparently it had the best food ever. The best thing was that The Doctor was willing to pay for all of it because by the end of the universe bank interest was great. Or something like that.

She had long since come to the decision that she was both mad, asleep and whatever was happening had nothing to do with her anyway. Flicking her fingers she looked around and stopped herself from bouncing from foot to foot, she was bursting with energy for some reason she couldn't quite fathom. Now the Doctor was talking to the waiter and introducing them. '…and this is?'

'Dawn Summers.' Looking at him Dawn had the impression that she'd seen him before, even though the Doctor that Andrew had made her watch was nothing like this one. That one wasn't as tall and was no where near as mad. He on the other hand knew everyone here, except her.

'Of course.' He smiled at her, his eyes never rested on her. It was like he was looking for something but couldn't find it.

The group, including Giles who was carrying a tall thin glass of something, were shown to a table.

'Doctor,' Willow started, 'If we're supposed to be helping Angel and his friends why are we here. Shouldn't we be going there?'

'Little lady I am the Doctor and I know exactly what I am doing, as I have said.' he stopped to thank the waiter for the menus. 'Each of you have a task, The good master Harris has fulfilled his by bringing us here.'

'Really?' Xander asked.

'Yes, there is one problem however.'

'And that is?' Buffy asked, taking the menu.

'Lightly fried memusian dodo in plomtic gravy, quite nice if I do say so myself. As for the problem, she has no task.' He was pointing directly at Dawn. 'She has no future or even a past for that matter. To put it simply our quick mouthed companion with us in this journey does not even exist in the time stream. I find it quite unnerving to say the least.'

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

City on the Edge of Destruction  
Chapter Three  
Full circle.

'But she's my sister!' Buffy almost screamed.

'Exactly my dear. Quite, quite unnerving.'

'You're taking this well.' Xander said to Dawn.

'How am I supposed to take it? Shock? I know I was made by those monks so what do I care. I dealt with all this years ago, I don't have a future. So what.'

'Made by monks?' The Doctor asked.

'It's a long story.' Buffy said

'I was made to hide something called the Key.'

'Apparently not that long.' Buffy muttered.

'The Key? Were these monks from the Order of Dagon?'

'Yes' Dawn suddenly felt something, the recognition she had for this man and the almost permanent sugar high she felt since coming to this place fitted together nicely with an almost audible click.

'How amazing. The Time Lords have been looking for you for billions of years!'

Buffy looked at the strange man, once again he radiated power that sent her slayer-senses off the scale. 'What are you talking about?'

'At the beginning of the universe there was a bang, even your "scientists" know this. When my people first discovered time travel we went to this bang to see it for ourselves. We found that the explosion left two things. The first was matter which became the universe, the second was energy. This energy created life. We called it the Key To Life and studied it. We found that it could destroy life the same way as give it. To protect it from our foes it was given to a fellow Time Lord to hide. His name was Dagon. With his last incarnation he told us that the protectors were called the Order of Dagon.'

'Your telling me I create life.' Dawn asked incredulously.

'More than that, I hope you enjoy your meal we have work to do. Come Key let us unlock the door.' He took Dawn's hand and flew out of the dining hall.

* * *

Outside Dawn was swept up in something no mortal could ever hope to understand. 'Doctor! What are we doing?' 

'We're recreating everything Key. This universe must be and you are the answer to all our prayers!'

'How?'

'If I can merge you with the black hole that's sucking the universe up we can start another big bang. This is what you were created for! The universe is in your hands my dear girl lets not disappoint her.'

'Her?'

'That is why you're a girl, you and the universe are one and the same. Quickly now we don't have much time!'

'This is all going too fast, my head feels like it's going to explode. Something's happening…'

'Of all the times I could have left the thing behind. Sorry what was that?'

'I can't do it! I can't!' she wailed suddenly 'I've got to but I can't!'

'Don't worry Key, you'll be fine. Let it go.'

'That's what I'm talking about! I can't let go! I want to Doctor, I have to but something's stopping me!' Dawn had no idea what she was saying or even doing. It felt like she was being split in half. It had to happen but the bonds were too tight and the two halves just couldn't separate.

The Doctor was trying the TARDIS door. 'It's locked. Typical. Who left the TARDIS last?'

'Xander, I think.' Dawn said sliding to the ground next to the blue box.

* * *

Xander was currently watching a interesting discussion between three people at the table. The first was the slightly drunk Giles, who's still smoking drink was half empty, the second was a morally outraged Buffy who was trying to argue with Giles and the third. The third was the Dish-of-the-day. It had explained that it was bred to offer it's self as a meal and politely suggest what wine went with whichever body part you chose to eat.

Willow had fled the moment the cow had started to talk. Buffy was making a heart felt plea to it to stand up for its rights and refuse to let itself be cooked. Giles was busy examining its right shoulder, drunkenly mumbling recipes that the Dish-of-the-day approved of. It was about this time that Xander wondered whether or not it was too late to become a vegetarian.

* * *

If anyone cared to ask the cow what it thought about all of this it would have explained that it thought the gentlemen's choice was exquisite. It was also considering why anyone would go to all the trouble of creating a animal that was willing to be slaughtered if the people who were suppose to enjoy a nice lean stake were appalled by it.

Just another one of life's mysteries it thought. But there wasn't that much time left to answer any of them, for anyone.

* * *

Xander felt a hand grasp the shoulder on his blind side, spinning around he looked at the out of breath Doctor. 'You… you closed the TARDIS. The key, where is it?'

'Dawn was with you.' Xander frowned, but was glad for the distraction

'The TARDIS key.' he said, badly hiding a swell of anger.

'I didn't lock it.'

'It locks on its own.' he span and headed back to the door. 'I suggest you go for a nice stake with a light salad in Rentusian ale gravy' the Doctor called over his shoulder.

'A spectacular suggestion sir. Sirs, madam; shall I have myself prepared as your friend suggests?' the Cow offered.

* * *

While the Doctor was talking Xander Dawn tried to make sense of what she was feeling. Two people came up to the tardis. The woman looked in shock while the man was looking at her.

'Doctor! It looks just like yours.' she said before noticing Dawn. 'Who's that?'

'That, Rose, is the Key,' the man had a strangely angular face 'Hello Key, long time. This is my friend Rose Tyler. Rose this is Dawn Summers; the Key to Life.'

'um hello.' Dawn waved. 'Who are you?' she asked the man.

'Of course, I'm the Doctor.'

'But the Doctor's inside trying to get the key? How can you…'

'Regeneration. He's me and I'm him just not right now. Later perhaps… or earlier depending on how you look at it.'

'Oh, when one of you dies you do something and come back different.' Dawn said trying to grasp the idea.

'Yes' his smile was almost exactly like the other Doctor's; full of mischief, humour and insanity. He was only missing the teeth. 'You're locked out and your friend doesn't have the key! Now I remember! I'll let you in.' he reached over her and opened the door. 'There you go, good luck!' he waved a thumb in the air before retreating with the other girl.

* * *

Rose looked behind her; 'What she just said, you can die and you just come back?'

'Nothing like that Rose. A Time Lord has fourteen lives, I am one life of the fourteen. When I die the Doctor regenerates, it won't be me that's all.' he came to a stop and ducked behind a ship, she followed.

'What are we doing now?'

'Braking the law.'

The two watched as a shabbily dressed man in a long scarf and hat that both failed to match either each other or anything else came up to the girl-key thing. The brunet told him what had happened and he looked shocked before going inside with her in tow.

'How was that braking the law?' Rose asked

' "The first law of time travel:- To have no contact with or interfere with your past or future self." Stops paradoxes and the like. It gets right confusing otherwise too.'

'So that bloke with the scarf was you?'

'Yep.'

'Are there any others? Of you I mean'

'I'm the ninth, he's the fourth. Come on Rose I promised you a meal and you'll get one.'

* * *

Dawn stumbled around the Tardis, half dragged, half carried by the Doctor.

'The Zero Room.' He pointed at black door that looked out of place in the white corridor. 'it is separate from the whole universe. Inside there is literally nothing. The total void that will exist in only a few minutes. It will take that long to prepare the controls for what I have to do. stay in here and I'll come for you.'

'If its nothing how can I exist there.'

'You are the universe as energy. You can survive.

'Are you sure?'

'I have lived for hundreds of years there is very little I do not know. You WILL survive inside there.' He pushed her in.

* * *

The Doctor fretted the moment he closed the door. In that place her belief that she will be alright meant everything, in a world of nothing imagination was real. Running back to the control room he picked up his sonic-screwdriver and began rewiring half the control column. Running out of time the Doctor pulled the TARDIS out of linear time, Giving him forever, literally, to finish his work.

Not a few minutes later he opened the door to the zero room. The Key stepped out before stumbling to her knees. 'Quickly now. The timing has to be perfect.' the Doctor picked her up and carried the shaking girl in to the control room.'

'What's go in on?' she asked.

'I've reversed the polarity of the dematerialisation circuit and redirected the proton flow.' he said without thinking, in other words the system that made the TARDIS vanish was now altered to absorb and then direct the energy of the Key to the intergalactic black hole. He was about to explain that when:-

'Won't work, just me still' Key said weakly.

'I'm surprised you understood that my dear girl. You're quite correct but I've interfaced my sonic screwdriver as a projection amplifier.' He tried to stand her up but she fell to the floor. After two more attempts to get her to stand on her own legs he finally gave up, carried his hat stand next to the control column and simply hooked her onto that.

With great care he lifted his sonic screwdriver from the consol, making sure he didn't loosen any of the frankly ludicrous amount of wires he had attached to it. 'Now hold perfectly still' he said to the dangling, limp and faintly glowing girl before pointing the small device at her.

Meanwhile Buffy was looking at her freshly delivered plate of steaming meat and vegetables. Willow had come back a few moments before and somehow Buffy (and the others at the table) had neglected to tell Willow that the talking cow was actually now sitting with them, as it were. 'It's a nice meal.' the red headed witch commented looking around. 'The decoration's a bit tacky though.'

'I know, this is supposed to be the best place to eat, ever. You'd think they would play down the marble.' Xander joked but didn't touch his food

'…Or the drapes.' Buffy tried to lighten the mood. 'Okay Giles, before you lose the ability to speak, tell us what the hell is going on.'

'You know as much as me Buffy'

'I doubt that. I still don't know what a Time Lord is.'

Giles looked at her as if she had grown an extra head. 'According to the show the Time Lords were a race of aliens who had time machines. They basically watched what happened in time. The Doctor is a renegade Time Lord. Instead of watching he travels though time and space saving worlds and battling other alien races.'

'So he pops in saves the world and pop's out again.' Xander said

'To save another day.' Giles smiled a crooked smile around the table. 'The point is Time Lords can sense peoples destinies, sometimes even change them. They also have powers beyond even Willow's. A Time Lord is physic, can live for almost 300 years without regenerating and some can even control a man's will. They are also devilishly intelligent and can amass more knowledge in a week than you or I in a lifetime.' Giles voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper 'It's also said that they can control the flow of time with only their minds. He may look human but believe me the Doctor could crush us with a mere thought. Not that he would, or at least this virsion of him.'

'Aren't you laying it on a bit thick G-man. Alright he isn't human but come on, control time with his mind?' Xander laughed.

'I am not joking Xander. The Time Lords are the guardians of time itself. I never suspected they were real but obviously they are. I would rather not think about what the hell I am seeing at this moment and if you had half a brain you, all of you, would do what I'm doing.'

'What's that?' Willow asked around a mouthful.

'Get completely smashed and don't think about it.' Buffy could tell he wasn't joking, Giles was so scared of what was going on that he was almost reverting back to "Ripper".

'Guys I don't think Giles is exaggerating. I don't know what makes it happen but whenever he starts doing these things my Slayer-radar goes off the scale. Things might seem odd even wrong around here but we have to remember it's really happening. Giles we've done it so far but how much can we trust the Doctor?'

'If he told me the sky was pink and the sea yellow when my eyes told me they were both blue… I'd believe in pink skies and yellow seas.'

'That's a "yes" then.'

'Yes.' He drained his glass and went cross-eyed.

* * *

Max Quordlepleen, host and entertainer at Milliways, had finished the introductions as normal and was now moving on to the standard awe inspiring sight '…And Ladies, Gentlemen, multiform beings and super-intelligent shades of the colour blue if you look up into the once infinite expanse above us you will see the last few, short, hours that this universe has left.' The sight of a black hole sucking the whole of creation into nothing could never be described. While the sight was simply a few coloured dust clouds being sucked like cloudy water down the sink Max knew that with his skills and the fact that this was the WHOLE of creation vanishing the emotional impact was what was indescribable.

The usual gasps of wonder and astonishment came from the tables as the moment came. Then from nowhere a bright beam of green light lanced deep into the core of the back hole. 'What's happening?' Max gasped in wonder as the beam continued.

* * *

Even from this incalculable distance watchers of the event could see giant lightning bolts dance across the impossible surface of nothing. The green glowed so bright that it became white and a flash blasted across what was once emptiness.

The restaurant was alive with conversation. As Dawn followed the Doctor back to their table she caught snippets of information, mostly people thought it was some sort of miracle from a prophet named Zarquon, others seamed to think it was a stunt to sell some new "Ultra-Rock" album or something.

'Dawn! Was that light show anything to do with what you two did?'

Before she answered Dawn glanced at Giles, who was sleeping. 'Yes Buffy, it was. I just had to merge with the universe for a moment to recreate it, isn't that right Doctor.'

'I wouldn't put it quite that way but more or less, yes. Have you finished?' Given that most of the restaurant was in a panic and the pates were empty it was a rhetorical question.

Buffy and Xander picked up Giles and carried him to the door. Just before the group got there the Doctor told them to put him into a glass tube.

Two buttons and a switch later and Giles walked out, 'A Sober-O-Matic.' the Doctor explained succinctly. No one said anything as they pretended to understand.

* * *

Buffy looked around the control room of the tardis, the Doctor had just started it up.

'Urm I have a question,' It was Xander. 'We're going to save Deadboy right?'

'If you mean the Vampire… Yes.' The Doctor answered carefully

'What with? Buffy's got the Scythe thing in there,' he thumbed the door behind him. 'but what of the rest of us.'

'Do we get some phasers?' Dawn grinned.

'Phasers? You mean phased laser pulse beams? Good heavens no the TARDIS doesn't need those silly things.'

'Well what weapons have you got?' Buffy asked.

'Weapons? The Doctor frowned and Buffy got a sinking feeling. 'There's one in the draw under the second monitor bank on the consol. Just in front and to the right.'

Thanking the powers she found the draw and opened it. Inside was a small pen like thing with a round top and a cone mounted in it. The sinking feeling came back.'What's this

'My sonic-screwdriver.' The Doctor beamed as she held it up.

'And what use is it against a demon?'

'Ah…'

End Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

City on the edge of destruction  
Chapter Four

'So what use is this thing' Buffy waved the short stick

'It's a screwdriver.' The Doctor answered.

'Great, anything else?'

The Doctor checked his pockets; 'Aha, here.' He pulled out a brown paper bag. 'Jelly babies!'

'Can you kill a demon with one?' Buffy said pointedly, knowing the answer all too well.

'Well no, not as such…'

'Great. We're doomed.' Xander said bowing his head.

'Doesn't this thing have any weapons at all?' Willow asked the Doctor

'Weapons? On a TARDIS? Don't be silly, it doesn't need them you see. The force field is impregnable.'

'That's some good news.' Buffy muttered 'Now all we have to do is land this thing on something.'

'I'm afraid that won't work, safety precautions.' Pointed out the Doctor.

'Why don't we just go get some?' One voice chirped up

'Dawn, haven't you been listening? There are none.' Giles cleaned his glasses

'Its not like we can pop down the street and get something.' said Xander.

'Why not?'

'Dawn we're on a space ship at the end of the universe.' he stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

'It's a time ship Xander. Do the math.' Everyone in the control room looked at her, their mouths wide open. 'Let's just head over to the medieval ages or whatever and pick some up.'

'We're dumb' said Xander finally as the others nodded, all except Buffy.

'Alright little miss know-it-all. Where do we get these weapons. Phone up King Arthur and ask if we can borrow Excalibur?'

'Don't be stupid Buffy,'

'It was your idea.'

'My idea was just to go back in time and get something pointy.'

'Like a magic sword?'

'Probably, if you think you'll need one.'

'You saying I need a magic weapon?'

'No of course not, I mean you're the Slayer. You can do anything, You're faster stronger than anyone here. It's not like Xander can beat up Vamps without superhero powers.' Dawn had reverted to sarcasm in the worst way.

'Leave me out of this.'

'Why you…'

While they argued no one noticed the Doctor move up and fiddle with the controls.

* * *

In a field two sheep were busy eating. That's pretty much all they ever did, sitting in the field was a young boy who's job it was to watch the flock. At the moment he was watching the insides of his eyelids. This all changed as a low grinding sound echoed across the near by hills. The young boy jumped to his feet, looking everywhere but behind him where the two sheep head butted the side of a materializing, blue, police telephone box. When he finally did turn around his mind refused to understand what he was looking at. Three men and three women walked out each wearing the strangest things he had ever seen under long cloaks.

'Doctor this isn't L.A.' said a woman with the blondest hear the boy had ever seen but it was the girl beside her that captivated his attention.

'No it's not. Ah.' The one with a bright cloth around his neck and over his cloak came up to the boy. 'Young man, perhaps you can help us.'

'Are you angles?' the boy asked with a great deal of effort he tore his eyes from the smiling girl that had to be around his age.

'No child, we are travellers. I was wondering is there a castle near about?' he asked.

'That there is my lord. The greatest castle in all of Britain. You seek the druid who lives there?' his eyes kept wandering but he would not embarrass himself.

'Yes, his fame has reached even our fair lands. We seek his great council. Could you point us in the direction?' the man asked. His companions looked shocked for a moment.

'Of course my lord.' The boy stood up straighter in an effort to impress. 'It rests in the great valley beneath these fair hills, to the west of here.' He pointed to it. 'The great druid lives in the castle of the king, but I warn you the guards don't like strangers. Best to avoid them if you can.'

'Thank you young sir.' The traveller smiled and left, if the boy was honest with himself he wasn't looking at anyone but the girl as they all walked away.

* * *

Dawn was on the verge of laughing, she strongly suspected that if they had told that guy they were angles he would have worshiped her on the spot. Yep he was still watching her, he was short with a mop of blond hair and could have almost been cute if it wasn't for his smell and complete lack of cleanliness.

Buffy was still asking the Doctor where, exactly, they were and why were they looking for a castle and a druid. As the gang came over the hill Dawn gasped, it was huge. Four giant walls, as shear as cliff faces were connected at the corners by even bigger square towers. Inside a tall tower rose higher than the walls and at the very top of this enormous castle waved a proud flag with a dragon roaring it's flame.

In a thunderous voice the Doctor declared; 'Behold the greatest creation of the era! The shining symbol of this nation! That will live on as a legend of peace and justice for millions of years. Camelot!'

'Camelot!' Exclaimed Giles an instant before Willow and Xander.

' "It's only a model." ' Dawn said without thinking.

The group turned on her as one. 'One more quote like that young lady and I'm confiscating your collection.' Giles said pointedly.

'Indeed.' said the Doctor almost growling, 'There is a time and a place for Python jokes.'

'Sorry.' She muttered to her feet.

Unfortunately on the way down Giles started whistling and the Doctor couldn't seem to stop himself from singing the line; "We eat ham, and jam and Spam allot... in Camelot!" Which confused the other three in the group, that for some inexplicable reason had never seen Monty Python and the quest for the holy grail.

* * *

Buffy had long since decided to ignore her still hyperactive little sister. 'So if the three of you have stopped making Andrew look normal can we please get back to my question. Which was; what the hell are we doing here?'

'You need weapons, an old friend of mine lives here. I'm sure he'll help. Now remember let me speak to them.' The Doctor said before they reached the great doors.

'Greetings. You are travellers?' said a big guy in some sort of leather/steel plated armour, obviously a guard.

'Yes we are, may we enter?'

'You may. Be warned, however, the castles keep is privet and only accessed by the royal household.'

'Many thanks sir knight.' The Doctor half bowed before leading them inside.

'All right I have one, no two questions. First why are you the only person allowed to talk to them and second is your "friend" Merlin?'

Well young Xander the knights don't speak English, but Latin. I speak Latin quite well.'

Buffy knew a little Latin, mostly from over hearing Willow and Giles during lessons and what she heard didn't sound like Latin and she said so.

'Well you see the TARDIS has a telepathic Babel Circuit that it automatically beams into the language centre of your brain. They're speaking in Latin but your hearing in your own idiom of English, quite clever if I do say so myself. As for Merlin that is precisely who we are here to see. Come let us find him.'

The group walked around the frankly disgusting court yard. The cradle of civilisation maybe but it was still the Dark Ages.

* * *

Inside the keep Merlin was talking matters of the kingdom with Arthur when he felt it. A powerful mind was searching for him, somewhere in the castle grounds. 'Arthur, someone is here, another druid looking for me.' 

The young king stood up and walked across the grand hall to the guards at the door. 'Relive the gate, have the men guarding it report here immediately.'

'Yes, your majesty.' The two men bowed before fast marching down the corridor.

'Are they dangerous?' the boy asked.

'I don't know their intentions, if so I alone must speak to them.' In the silence that followed Merlin reflected on his punishment. Barely two score years ago his fellow Time Lords decreed that his experiments were too dangerous and unnecessary. He had pointed out that after the near cataclysm of Omega and his negative universe an alternate power source had to be found. They agreed but promised to hold him responsible if something went wrong.

The result was disastrous to say the least. It was only thanks to a monumental temporal paradox that this half of the universe wasn't sucked into a class nine hyperspace fold. The judgement was a simple one, he was to be imprisoned in a planets dark ages until he had evolved a bit. The only suitable planet was Earth.

Now another Time Lord was here, a forbidden time and looking for him, something just as forbidden. Only two people were that bold. The Master or the Doctor. The thought that one or the other we're actually here was something that filed the three hundred year old with a sense of dread.

Two more guards entered and bowed; 'You sent for us, your majesty.'

'I did. Have any strangers approached recently.'

'Yes, your majesty. Six travellers, three of them men and three women.'

Merlin looked them dead in the eyes. 'Was there anything strange about them?' he noticed both of them cringe back unconsciously.

'Only one spoke, oh druid. He wore a cloak and some form of bright cloth around his neck. I know not why but I found him a humours and likeable man.' The man on the right said and the one on the left agreed.

'Did you find one of them disturbing, malevolent, perhaps even vaguely threatening?'

'We would not have allowed them in if we did so.'

'Are you quite sure?'

'Yes, oh druid.'

'Then it is him.'

* * *

Arthur had been watching and noticing his old teacher pale at the description of this strange traveller. 'Guard, I want the two of you to go to the guard house and take a dozen men. Find these travellers and escort them here, unharmed and unarmed.'

'At once your majesty.' The two rushed out of the doorway.

'What is the matter old friend.'

'The man they described sounds like someone I knew in my youth. He is a powerful druid and a complex man. Wise beyond his years and utterly ruthless when he needs to be.'

'Are you certain Merlin?'

'Oh yes boy. The Doctor likes to be underestimated, he can be friendly and quite amusing but this is only a mask. His power eclipses my own ten fold at least and his anger can make me look quite tame.'

'You jest!' Arthur did not like this situation. Merlin was a good man but no one stood in his way if they wanted to live.

'I'm afraid not, though he is not as violent as I am when provoked. A small favour. I must know why he is here.' With that the old Druid stood up and walked to the window.

End Chapter Four

Authors note

As this was posted as part of my four way update whatever gets the most reviews will be finished first. Review, review and review if you want me to keep this one current.


	5. Chapter 5

City On The Edge of Destruction  
Chapter Five

Authors notes  
First of all, LONG LIVE DOCTOR WHO! It's just finished over here so I had to rush this one out. But next is the announcement of the winner of the four way post. This one! Coming second was Lost but Found and a close third was the Terminator crossover. I'll be updating/completing in that order.  
That's all so Lets get on with this story.

* * *

Giles wasn't happy walking around the court yard of a pre-medieval stone castle and he could tell the rest of the group felt the same way. 'Doctor, do you honestly think we'll just bump into your friend in the middle of the street?'

'No. That's why I sent out a psychic probe. Ah here comes our escort.' A dozen men-at-arms with spears and sheathed short swords quick marched up to them, their leader was the same man who was at the gates.

'You will follow us.' He ordered before glancing up at his spear. Probably contemplating levelling it at them.

'Of course.' grinned the Time Lord.

As they started to move Giles noticed Dawn was gawping at an animal. 'Urm Dawn…'

'That's a moose.'

'Yes?' It was a very nice moose but quite why she was looking at it was beyond him.

Her smile was not the sort of thing you'd find on the face of a sane person; 'Moose… from the titles!' For a long second Giles didn't get the reference then he did, the title sequence from the Quest for the Holy Grail was full of Moose jokes.

'That's it, I'm taking your collection and your not getting it back.' He turned around and took a few steps before another thing caught his eye. 'And that is not a python.' he said jabbing his finger at a snake that actually looked very much like one.

He spent the next few minutes trying to figure out what it was, if not a python, and trying to ignore the giggling child.

* * *

Willow wondered if Dawn didn't have the right idea in going mad. It seamed to make things a lot easier to understand. As the group were escorted into the keep and up past a grand hall she began to wonder why Camelot was so difficult to find if it was this big. She asked the Doctor.

'You see my dear, Merlin was exiled and sent here as punishment for something or other. I forget what but the point is that Camelot was his idea and it effect the history of this race you see. So my fellow Time Lord's simply erased it from everyone's memory. The story survived of course but the building itself was removed, there's nothing left. That's why you can't find it.'

'There's nothing left to find! How… I mean what gives them the right to do that.' Willow was shocked that these beings could do that sort of thing.

'Power, necessity and the fact that its already done. Really my fellow Time Lords worry that if we keep effecting the Space-time continuum we could destroy it. Rather short sighted that, given the current situation. Wouldn't you agree?' he directed to the room they had just entered.

They had just turned and came through two large doors. Inside was a youngish man with a mane of light red hair and a short beard, he wore a short dark cloak over a dull red top and rough brown leggings. His friend was an old man with neck length white hair and a long beard, just passing his neck. He wore a light blue robe with a white cord like belt. 'What situation would that be?'

'Three trans-dimensional entities have punctured the barriers between the dimensional plains. The idiots didn't even bother to check the energy fields at the spot they ripped creation open.'

'Full power?'

'No power. The hotspot was burnt out a year before.' the Doctor walked over to a chair.

'That's a problem?'

Willow watched as the Doctor stopped mid stride before hanging his head 'And you're a scientist, what has the universe come to? The amount of trans-dimensional energy they threw at the point had to go somewhere didn't it?' he turned on Willow. 'Perhaps its better if I explained it to you; if you slap a bit of sticky tape on to a balloon and then take a sharp pin and push it through the bit you taped up, what happens.'

'The pin goes through the balloon, but it doesn't burst.' She had seen this done on T.v as a kid and spent days getting it to work, but it did eventually.

'Right, now that's a dimensional portal on a working hotspot. Without the tape the balloon bursts, that's without a hotspot. Now put layer upon layer of tape on one spot and a blunt pin that gets rammed through with a hammer, what happens?'

'The balloon bursts?' asked Buffy.

'Exactly. The balloon is our, well this, dimensional realm,' he turned on the druid. 'The skin of our dimension is burst, no more and whatever's inside is lost in the emptiness between. BOOM.'

Merlin had been getting a strange looking his eyes as the Doctor talked, 'By the great tower, the end of everything. Why are you the one stopping it, shouldn't the others be the ones to… do whatever they plan to do to stop it.'

'They have a wonderful plan, but I'm not sure it will work.'

'What is it?'

'Tell me to go and fix it.' It was at that point the conversation was interrupted by Giles.

* * *

Giles barely heard what the Doctor was saying to Willow. Upon entering there was only one thing he was interested in. Next to a stone throne, flush against a banner on the far wall, was a scabbard. Inside was the sword that just about every Englishman would sell his soul to see.

It took Giles a moment to realise that the handle and hilt of the mythical bade was familiar, pale leather bound around almost pure silver that still some how had a red tinge. He just couldn't place it. The more he looked the more familiar it became. Racking his brains he knew he could not have seen Excalibur before so it must be something like it.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. 'The scythe! Excuse me your majesty may I please see your sword?'

'You may. But I warn you it will only allow it self to be wheedled by my hand, no one else's.' The historical figure seamed grateful to be distracted from the two Time Lords and walked over to the sword.

'Never my intention your majesty. Thank you.' Giles followed him

'What did you mean by scythe?' Asked the legendary king as he picked up the sword.

'A few days ago we found weapon a lot like this.' Giles looked at the sword, long and straight, the Sword had a silver edge to the blade but a metallic red core. It seamed to emit a sense of light. 'In fact it was exactly like this.'

'That's cool Giles but there's something a bit more important going on. Pardon me sir but can you understand me.' Buffy looked at the king.

'Of course I can fair maiden, why do you ask?'

'Cause our friend there said you only speak Latin. I'm speaking English, so is Giles.'

'English?' he looked to Merlin

'Very good,' Exclaimed the Doctor quite out of the blue. 'Your chameleon circuit works.'

'Yes I'm quite proud.'

As one the humans in the room looked at each other then to the Time Lords before saying 'Huh?'

* * *

However one didn't, she looked up and down the walls before standing in the centre of the room. Then she took two steps backwards and frowned at where she was just standing.

'What is it Key?' There was a slight tone in the Doctor's voice that showed that he knew exactly what "it" was.

Dawn could see the faint outline of ,well something that wasn't there, or at least not yet. Curious she reached out and flipped a nonexistent switch and a TARDIS control column promptly slipped back into reality. 'Camelot is Merlin's TARDIS? Cool!'

'Who is this? For that matter who are they Doctor?' Merlin had the same look in his eye that the Doctor had at the beginning of the journey.

'I thought you recognised them, it was your hobby at the academy. The young lady with blond hair is the Slayer General.'

'Buffy Summers, you're joking! Buffy Summers was eight feet tall and could kill a vampire by looking at it.' Merlin laughed.

'That's what was said about her. As you know legends are often exaggerated This is Rupert Giles and over here is Willow Rosenberg. The young man without an eye is Xander Harris.'

'Then who's this?' he looked down at Dawn who was too busy investigating the column to meet the gaze that was being directed at her.

'She's the Key, given to the Slayer in this form for her own protection.'

Merlin took a few steps back. 'How?'

'I think they used a chameleon field to reshape her.' the Doctor half shrugged before heading to one of the controls. 'This is the Doctor calling the Time Lord's high council. Urgent mission update.'

From the empty air around him a great voice permeated the very rocks of the castle; 'This is Barossa. Proceed Doctor, is this universe safe?'

* * *

Arthur always knew that Merlin was powerful. So while he was surprised at the strange table simply appearing, and the equally strange man talking to mid-air, he knew that there was an logical and reasonable explanation. He also knew that he wouldn't understand it. Instead he latched on to the thing he did understand; the protection of those in need. 'Merlin, will this…event harm the innocent?' He was uncomfortable interrupting but he had to know something.

'What? Well yes, everyone will die Arthur.'

'Then my goal is clear.' He turned to the other travellers. 'You have come a long way to seek help in saving lives. Years ago I pledged my life and honour to that endless task. The six of you are no match for the armies of hell and so my army will accompany you to this distant place.'

Merlin was spluttering, obviously trying to dissuade Arthur but not knowing how to start.

Arthur walked besides the strange druid and stopped him; 'Oh Lords of time, I am Arthur king of the Britons. It is my duty to protect this country and by extension this world. Whatever aid these people require I give it freely.

'Merlin once told me that you punished him for a mistake. He has been my greatest friend and teacher, I ask what crime could this man make by accident that is rewarded with this punishment?'

'King Arthur, his crime was one of stupidity and foolishness. We have long considered out verdict and still believe it to be just. However the length of this justice can be disputed. Merlin; hear me now.'

'Yes Lord-President?'

'Your charge may assist with the Doctor's mission, given the same restrictions as his other companions. As for yourself, you will live out the rest of this life to its natural conclusion. Upon your regeneration you will be welcomed back amongst us.'

'Thank you Lord-President.'

'Now go. The time lines are becoming unstable, any further delay may doom all of us. Time Lord command centre, end of message.'

'So do we get to save the world now?' Asked the youngest girl with a strange smile.

End Chapter Five


	6. Chapter 6

City on the Edge of Destruction  
Chapter Six  
Let the Battle Commence!

Authors note  
It's been a long time coming. (Mainly because the other stories burnt out my muse to the point that it scurried away and hid in one of the lower hell dimensions) but here is the penultimate chapter of the story. I hope you like it because I finally do. Any questions I'll be able to answer them at the back end of the final chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter six

As the rain fell the four survivors saw the legions of demons shambling down the cramped back street, high in the sky a giant dragon screeched before landing on a nearby roof. Angel looked to his friends, and Spike, before clenching his sword tighter.

'You take the thirty thousand on the left…' started Gunn painfully sanding up.

'You're fading. You'll last ten minutes at best.' noted Illyria.

'Then lets make them memorable.' grinned the mortally wounded warrior. Together they stood their ground. Angel knew that there was no way out of this, this was the end.

Spike smiled 'Any idea of a plan?'

'We fight.'

'A bit more specific?'

Angel raised his sword, 'I kinda want to slay the dragon. Let's go to work.'

He took two steps before running into a materialising blue box and bouncing off. Dazed Angel looked up at the shape in front of him, draped in shadow from the flashing light above. Then the last voice he expected to hear again came from the other side;

'Looks like were just in time, what does that make us Xand?'

'Lucky Buff. Very lucky' he answered. Angel got up and moved around to the side of the box. The rest of his team behind him.

'And what's that make them?'

'Screwed?' Answered Dawn. Angel could see Buffy's disapproving glare.

' "In trouble" is how I would have put it Dawn, never mind. After you your Majesty.'

Angel frowned as someone dressed in chain mail spoke in Latin into the box before shouting a war cry. Then something in excess of ten thousand heavily armed medieval knights charged out of a box that couldn't hold two people with out cramping. Buffy and Xander followed them, Buffy's scythe almost singing as she wheeled it in an infinity loop though demons.

'What's going on?' Angel asked Dawn. Two people who looked like each others polar opposite flanked her. One looked like a old druid in flowing robes and carrying a staff. The other was dressed as an Edwardian English gentleman underneath a dirty brown coat, oversized hat and a scarf that dragged along the floor.

'Oh hi Angel. We heard you needed some help. Our friend gave us a lift; Angel this is Merlin and the Doctor. Guys this is…'

The Druid offered his hand 'Angel, champion for humanity and vampire with a soul. It's a honour to meet you.'

'Well thanks, you really the Merlin?'

'Yes I am.' he glanced at the full scale war that was erupting in the narrow ally. Angel had almost forgotten about that. Then he remembered Gunn.

'You're a doctor,' he said to the other one. 'Can you help my frien…'As he turned to gesture to Gunn he caught a glimpse of what he now recognized as a police box. Three things flew through his mind, first was that this guy probably wasn't a doctor in that sense. The second was what the hell was going on and the third was the most important:- why was Spike laughing.

* * *

The moment the "little bit" introduced her two companions (or was it the other way around?) Spike knew exactly who they were. Time Lords, bleeding Time Lords that actually existed! Then Angel tried to get the Doctor to look at Charlie-boy! He couldn't stop himself laughing.

Unfortunately this drew attention to the fact that he was there. Dawn looked at him and waved 'Hi Spike.' then she turned back to Angel. 'He's not that type of doctor, but I think Merlin could help.'

As the Druid went over to help the girl smiled at everyone like someone who had been permanently looked up in a padded room. 'Aren't you shocked to see me?' Spike asked.

'Nope. Buffy wants me here so that I'm safe with the Time Lords. You and Angel go have fun.' She pointed at battle. 'Go.'

* * *

Inside the Tardis Giles watched the battle, before he left the Doctor set the door so that you could see though it. Inside the TARDIS library Willow was researching trans-dimensional holes and how to repair them. Apparently that was her task on this sojourn through time and space.

For himself Giles knew that his was to discover the connection between Excalibur and Buffy's scythe. By comparing notes during the trip he and Merlin agreed that the fabled ladies of Avalon were the same group who worshiped the Slayer bloodline and who apparently forged both weapons. Now he planned to turn his attention on something else, Dawn's behaviour.

Over the last day or so, as they travelled, her grip on sanity had begun to slip. The ultimate result being that she had spent the trip here sitting on the Control Column making the noises for the TARDIS as she went up and down. After this frankly disturbing image Buffy had pointedly asked him to find out what was wrong with her.

Shortly after that talk Dawn had started skipping across the control room like a hyperactive (and rather aimless) bee.

* * *

With Giles working on the loony sister problem Buffy could divert all of her energies to kicking demon ass. She remembered Dawn's reaction to that statement and ground her teeth. Yes it was true that the demons didn't have any donkeys for her to kick and yes she meant to say arses… God she hoped Giles would find what was wrong with that girl.

After beheading another giant demon Buffy landed with a roll and blocked a clumsy swing from one more her size. To her left the king was making short work of the lesser demons that were after him, the mystical sword obviously gave him the strength to take them down. 'Are you alright?'

'That I am. It is good to see that even in this new world the English weather has remained the same!'

Shuddering Buffy turned on another demon bisecting it and ramming the blade deep into its face. It looked like she had completely missed the four foot tall demon that got behind her.

'Watch your back love.' She knew that voice but it couldn't be him… it couldn't. She turned around (the stake hilt ramming through the small demons brain) and there he was, sword in hand, hacking demons apart to reach her. The closer he got the more she knew it was him. In the middle of the war this was the silent eye of the storm. Eventually he made it to her and smiled that cocky smile of his. 'How you been Love?'

In response she punched his lights out. Repeatedly.

* * *

Dawn was still having the time of her life. Okay, so she had taken a vacation from reality and belonged in a padded room, so what. With the things life was throwing at her what was she supposed to do? Smile and hope they all make sense in the end? Why not be mad, it gives you the answers. All right so it was forty two, but that makes a certain sense… Should she start blabbering again or just watch. Something funny was probably happening so she should watch. It would be funny.

Owlishly she watched as Merlin got to work on the wounds of the big black guy. He'd live, for now. He wasn't going to die until his grandson finished college, top of the class with a girlfriend who loved him. Dawn felt happy for him, so happy that she giggled a little. Looking around her eyes rested on the Doctor. He was a good man. Brilliant, even beyond his considerable age, but he cared for people. He couldn't stand the idea of having the power to help and being denied that power by people who were scared of it. That's why he stole the TARDIS and that's why he roamed the universe, trying to keep a fragile balance for life to exist and grow. The only reason he was angry, some of the time, was that he could see the good work his people could do, given the chance. Dawn felt sad for him. Then again he liked being a crotchety old man, so she liked him.

Then she noticed Charles was all better now. Oh that was good, now he wouldn't be so sad about being left out of the fight. She told him what he had to do.

'Are you sure she's, well you know, in control of all her faculties.' Charles asked

'On the contrary, we are all sure she's lost control. However she is often right. I'd go and have fun if I was you.'

'Well thanks for everything guy's but you're right there is something for me to do.' with that he joined in the fight.

After Charles had left Dawn heard Merlin talking to the Doctor. 'I'm worried about her, she seems to be slipping further and further.'

'Nonsense she's perfectly fine. And stop talking about her as if she's not here.'

'Of course, sorry.' he said to her.

'I don't mind, you're a little slow and I understand that.' He didn't like that frank evaluation but was too busy protecting her from the large demon that had suddenly charged at them.

* * *

The Doctor watched Merlin panic and sighed. From the size and shape of the beast it could easily split a man in half with the crude axe in it's hand. Calmly he reached into his pocket and produced a jelly baby, offering it to the huge mindless creature.

It took the brainless brute a long moment to understand that the small green sweet was food and take it from the Doctor's outstretched hand. With his other hand he reversed the polarity of his sonic-screwdriver. In one movement he pointed it at the large monster and hit the switch.

Thoughtlessly the demon reached for what at first he must have thought was another sweet before the sonic waves caused him to implode, spectacularly.

'You said that wouldn't work.?' said the Key. Oddly it was more of a question than a statement.

'He's not dead.' the Doctor picked up what was the size a garden gnome and made of stone. 'Merely transmogrified into this rather fetching garden ornament.' On second thought it wasn't that fetching, he through it over his shoulder with a slight shrug. Where it smashed into pieces. 'Jelly Baby?' he offered and the Key smiled again.

* * *

Xander was in the thick of things in the middle of the alley, somewhere he didn't want to be. The large axe he had borrowed from a knight was bent beyond recognition and the less said about the shield the better. At his side Deadboy wasn't fairing much better.

As for the dragon in front, Xander wished it was somewhere else.

* * *

Illyria looked down at the half breed, a smile threatening to come to her lips. 'You told me that the two of you cared for each other.'

He flipped to his feet in an attempt to be impressive; 'We do.' he grinned.

'Then why did she hit you?'

'That's how we say hello. You should see her when she means to hurt me.' and he rushed to her side. Illyria smiled at the two for no reason she could fully understand before turning her strength to the mayhem around her.

* * *

Angel rolled from the fire ball that threatened to engulf him, pulling Xander with him. 'Get out of here Xander, I can't protect you and fight this thing!' 

'Protect me? what makes you think I need you to do that. You go left I'll hit right.'

Pulling the young man to his feet Angel tried to cowl him with a glance. Only to be surprised by the fire behind he man's remaining eye. 'Fine just stay away from the head and claws.'

' "Don't get eaten" I'll try to remember that.' He dashed off towards the dragon, aiming to hack at the beast's armoured neck.

* * *

Buffy and Spike had fought their way to one of the roof tops. Between them there wasn't any demons left in the vicinity. 'What happened Spike?'

'Toasted and ghosted pet, toasted and ghosted. The damn jewel trapped me when I burnt up. Some wanker posted me here and I ended up haunting Wolfram and Heart for a few months before said wanker gave me back me body.' She looked at him, there was something more to it. 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you love. Its just I couldn't think how.'

'How long… how long have you been back?'

'Nine months.' Buffy cracked him across the jaw but he was ready for it. 'So how's the Immortal?' he asked

'The who?'

'The Immortal? Rome?'

'No clue. Spike, in case you haven't noticed that's a time machine down there. The Doctor picked us up five minutes after the big fight over the Hellmouth'

'So you're…'

'…From something like last year? Yep.'

'Oh. Why'd you hit me then?

'For not telling the other me.'

'Right… Looks like the boy and the brood machine are in trouble down there.' In the cramped alleyway Buffy could see Angel and Xander hopelessly trying to kill what bore a remarkable resemblance to a dragon. With a nod she told Spike the plan.

Together they jumped down onto the dragon's back and began hacking at the sweep spot between the wings.

* * *

'I've found it! Giles I've found it. Come on.' Willow burst from one of the doors and pulled the Watcher with her. 'Doctor I've got it. I need the Sword and the Scythe, together they have the power I'll need to seal the barriers!' The witch shouted as she charged out of the doors.

'Excellent. Do you want to go get them or should I?' He waved his hand at the bloody battle.

'Oh I didn't think about that. Where's Buffy?'

Dawn silently pointed at the Dragon where Buffy and Spike were working on a wing the same way a pair of woodcutters would deal with a stubborn tree.

'Spike's alive! She said he died.'

'Not yet.' Dawn, Merlin and the Doctor said at once before looking at each other.

'Not yet what? Alive or dead.' asked Giles, probably just as shocked as willow was.

'Both.' The three answered again.

'I don't understand.' Willow felt she had to say that.

This time the two Time Lords and the less than sane girl looked at each other before speaking; 'Good.'

Then Dawn pointed back to the battle. 'It's fallen over.' Somehow Buffy had gotten through the beast's neck and taken its head.

Willow took that opening in the battle to shout. 'Buffy, King Arthur! I need you! Quickly!' With a mighty roar from the dragon Buffy buried the scythe in its back and flip/jumped off. Arthur was less of a show off and merely ran over. 'Buffy I need the scythe thing.'

'Why didn't you say so?'

'I thought it was obvious.' Willow answered not bothering to sigh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it spinning towards them. After Buffy caught it she asked what had happened.

Dawn giggled and said; 'Sonic-screwdriver. It's like a futuristic Swiss army knife.'

'Okay. Cool. Alright I need you, your majesty, to put the tip of the sword across the top of the scythe. Thanks now you stand there and you there please.' Willow stood between them, the crossed weapons met at her head height. 'Powers of spirit without end I call on you. King and man. Warrior and woman. Together more than the whole. Balance and mercy. War and grief. Together more than the whole. We call your power now. Heal our land, heal our sky. Banish those who seek to conquer. Embrace those who protect. Return the barrier and restore the balance.'

'That's it?'

'Yes'

'Nothing is happening good Lady. Are you sure the incantation was correct.'

'To be honest. Not really.'

'Oh boy.'

End chapter six


	7. Chapter 7

City On The Edge of Destruction.  
Chapter Seven

'Ohh pretty light!' Gasped Dawn and Buffy had had about enough.

'Dawn there is no light. No dancing elves, no flying fish or purple elephants. No nothing, you got that?' she pulled at the scythe, only to have nothing happen then she tried to let go and that didn't work either. 'Urm Willow… How do I let go?'

'Say; Bring the light.' Supplied Merlin before covering his eyes

Willow shrugged and raised her arms again; 'Bring the light.' The result was instantaneous, where the weapons crossed a purple and red light shone. With a titanic pulse this light forced the two weapons apart.

'See I told you. Pretty.' Dawn chirped as the light, quite literary, washed the demons and their remains of the face of the planet.

* * *

Giles blinked the spots from his eyes; 'Yes… well good work everyone.' 

Xander trailed behind the surviving members of Angel Investigations; 'So we go home?'

'Yep.'

'Alright but before you swan off I've got a question.'

Buffy sighed and Giles knew how she felt. It had been a very long few days. 'What is it Spike?' she asked.

'You're from the past right,' they nodded. 'Right so if you're from the past and you're here the you that is in Rome, now, should know I'm here right? And you would have come and helped us. The you now not the you then. If you know what I'm getting at.'

Giles hadn't thought of that, 'Yes you said we were needed but why take us from the past?'

The Doctor had the grace to look embarrassed and then confused. Giles saw what he was looking at. Dawn was poking her own hand and watching it change colour where her finger nail went. Looking up the Doctor began to search his pockets for something. 'Yes well you see due to Angel's connections to Wolfram and Heart the versions of yourselves that are here don't trust him. That and other, more personal, reasons mean that Angel was effectively cut off from you permanently. I was ordered to bring you here And I chose a year ago because it was when you were the most powerful, and together. You meet again and gather with each other many times but that was the last time you fought a major battle as a group.'

'That doesn't answer my question. How come today's Buffy doesn't know what this one knows?' Spike pressed

'Now where did I put that… I'm sorry, did you say something?' the Doctor was still looking for something.

'Your avoiding the question.' Buffy said. 'Why?'

'I'm not avoiding any question. Ah here it is.' He pulled out an old yoyo and handed it to Dawn who squeaked with delight.

'You are! Stop it. You didn't answer just give Dawn a yoyo, which was pointless because she can't use one. Now answer the question before I hit you.' Buffy was getting angry, but before Giles could calm her down Dawn answered;

'We forgot about it.' she smiled before absently cracking the yoyo back to her palm like an expert.

'Urm forgot.' Xander waved his hand, 'I'm sorry fighting a dragon here. Not something I'm going to forget.'

'Not on your own. the Time Lords will help won't they?' Dawn smiled inanely while spinning the yoyo.

'Hang on, hang on,' Xander held his hands up. 'You're going to wipe our minds?'

'Not personally but yes I am afraid so.'

'What… Why?' Willow asked while Giles remembered what was said in Camelot about a condition.

'There are certain things you are aware of, not least my existence and the resurrection of your vampire friend , that you cannot know about.'

'Why didn't you tell us?' Asked Willow.

'Would you have come? No. So in not telling you I was able to save the planet and then your memories will be erased anyway.'

'This is all well and good, and quite interesting but I have another question. Where's King Arthur and his men gone?' Giles looked around, they had simply vanished and there wasn't even a sign that they were ever there.

'They were sent back by the light. Now that that's over and done with I suggest we leave.' The Doctor gestured back to the Tardis.

* * *

Dawn frowned at the yoyo. It refused to come back up and just span there in little circles. In the sprit of experimentation she kicked it. Right into Angel's head. 

'Ow, Dawnie. What was that for.'

'Conner.' She beamed at him before kicking it in his face again.

'Who the hell is this Conner anyway?' Charles threw his arms in the air.

'I've a better question,' Said Angel getting up. He was chainging the subject, it didn't matter She had already dented the spell after a few weeks it would crack and then the'll all know 'What's wrong with her?'

'I'd rather not say.' As the Doctor smiled at her Dawn kicked the yoyo again only to have Angel catch it and look her in the eyes

'Not this again.' Groaned Buffy 'Please just tell us.' Angel blinked rapidly and took a few steps backwards, almost scared of what he saw.

'She's insane Buffy. Completely.' The vampire said

'I'm afraid he's right Buffy, Giles announced, 'I did some research in the TARDIS and found something disturbing. There is a condition known as Space Dementia. If a person's mind cannot accept the lack of fixed reference points and the effects of zero gravity they can become unhinged.'

'Like the Total Perspective Vortex?'

'Yes Dawn. Something like that. Unfortunately the same thing can happen with Time travel. The lack of a fixed time point can drive you insane.'

'Your stupid Giles.' Dawn felt quite disgusted with him.

'Excuse me!'

'Your stupid and you insulted the TARDIS. She stops that from happening because she is a TARDIS and one of the best ever built.'

'She?' Asked Willow.

The Doctor coughed for attention 'You see the TARDIS is far from an inert transport device. It is a telepathic life form and the oldest surviving TARDIS in existence. The result is that it is a sentient lifeform, though for as long as I've know it it's had the personality of a child. That's why it refuses to go where I want it too. As the Key's body is a vessel the TARDIS is simply stretching it's legs as it were.'

'So the TARDIS is in her head, must be a lot of spare room.' Joked Buffy.

'I score better SAT's than you so there. Dawn stuck her tongue out at her sister before looking to Giles 'Sorry about calling you stupid… But you did say it first.'

'I know and I'm sorry too. Can you tell the TARDIS that?'

'Just did. We need to go home now.' Dawn grinned before skipping to the blue doors. As everyone who should went in she looked back to Angel and pulled the yoyo out of his hands. 'There's a phone call for you in the hotel. Go.'

He looked at the building that backed onto the ally before turning back to her 'Thanks.'

'See you around little bit.' Spike Smiled. 'Tell Buffy I love her.'

'I will.' As the four of them left She looked at the yoyo, there was one last thing she had to do. the sound of a subdued TARDIS taking off came from her hand and the yoyo vanished.

* * *

On the opposite side of the globe the same small sound echoed off a new(ish) dresser that sat in her room. Confused Dawn picked the small object up before grinning like a loon. 'Buffy! Phone!'

* * *

Else-when Buffy watched her past-self follow the past Doctor with the gang a few steps behind her. 'She has no idea what's going to happen.' She said to no one before laughing. 

'So what's the future like B?'

'Its weird. Very weird Faith.' Something wasn't right, she still remembered all of it. 'Giles, do you think he was pulling our leg about the whole memory wipe thing?'

'He's not the sort of person to joke about that. However I haven't forgotten anything. Is something wrong Dawn?'

'I miss the TARDIS, it was cool.' She pouted.

'It turned you into a giggling lunatic Dawn.' Xander reminded her as he approached.

'All it did was help me see the silly things for what they were.' she shrugged. Buffy followed her gaze to where the other blue box was rapidly vanishing.

'Hey Dawn don't worry about it, we might see them again.'

'Your right we could. Even if we don't it doesn't look like were going to forget any time soon.'

Buffy smiled at her sister, glad that she was back to normal. Looking over the crater that was once her home town she kept smiling, everything was back to normal. Without warning the power of the scythe suddenly flickered and faded. 'What did you say Dawn?'

'Urm… What do you want to do now?'

Far from the bus and the crater a lone man stood against a wooden blue box, observing the world around him with a certain amount of satisfaction. A rather pleased smile spread across his face as the bus pulled away and he walked into the TARDIS, insufferably happy at the way things turned out. 'So where next my old friend.' he asked the ancient time ship before blindly activating the console.

Outside a low grinding of gears accompanied the slow disappearance of the box from existence, leaving the remains of the small town silent and peaceful.

* * *

Post script  
Fade to titles and cue music! There you have it and I hope you liked it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, your comments were appreciated. Now I move on to finish the rest of my stories (before the asylum beckons me back that is). Thank you and please read my other stories, they deserve some attention after all!

Final Disclaimer  
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series both belong to Mutant Enemy Inc and 20th Century Fox.

Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy has existed in so many versions, produced by so many different studios that the only person I can really credit is the creator, the late Douglas Adams, and the original producers, the BBC.

Finally, Monty Python and the Holy Grail belongs to Python, Monty Productions.

(King Arthur belongs to history and this twisted take on it comes from my imagination) I own non of the characters or ideas connected to any of them.

Thomas Fishwick  
AKA Mountain King.  
March to August 2005


End file.
